Italian company ENEA has developed and patented first "microcosm" for agricultural plants cultivation (potatoes, salad, tomatoes and even fructifying trees).
The system allows growing plants in the most improper conditions — at the airports, shopping centers, basements and even in space shuttles.
An innovative intellectual agriculture system "microcosm" differs much from traditional greenhouses.
Main innovation is two independent cameras. The underground camera is intended for root system growth and rhizosphere (organisms which live in the soil), the elevated camera in intended for upper part of plants and phyllosphere ( organisms living in air). Though cameras are independent and can be operated separately, actually they are interdependent as it happens in nature because of exchange through substratum (soil, peat or compost).
Also Italian scientists have introduced sensors for environmental control and LED high-precision lighting which allows choosing particular wavelength in their development, AGROXXI reports .
Now Italian scientists hold experiments with "microcosm" effectiveness in combination with high-precision irradiating. "We have sown basil in pots and tried to grow it in laboratory in adverse environment, in "microcosm" under white light (it grew quicker) and in "microcosm" under high-precision irradiating. Under irradiating plants have increased in biomass ten times faster and even started their reproductive phase and amount of chlorophyll was higher. "Microcosms" are full ecosystems which can precisely reproduce natural field conditions" —Luigi D'Acuino from ENEA company tells.
